See first the Degree Requirements for the Ph.D. in Classical Languages and Literatures.

The Program

The success of any graduate program depends upon the quality and commitment of its students and faculty. The Classics Department of the University of Chicago consists of persons of diverse backgrounds and interests, active scholars who are expert in one or more areas of classical studies. Beyond the influence which members of the faculty have had individually through books and articles, the Department has also long been identified with the publication of Classical Philology, one of the world's leading journals devoted to classical antiquity.

The diversity of faculty interests is matched by the diversity among the students in the graduate programs at the University of Chicago. Students in the Department of Classics represent only one of several groups engaged in the study of the ancient world. The Oriental Institute and Divinity School, the Committees on Medieval Studies, and Social Thought, and the Departments of Art, History, and Philosophy all have programs which focus on different aspects of the classical period, and which attract students with correspondingly varied interests. Course requirements for the graduate program in Classics are sufficiently flexible that students can take advantage of the numerous opportunities offered by these other programs.

Consequently, Classics students are able to encounter a multiplicity of approaches to classical texts and modern scholarship. In addition to learning basic techniques of textual, historical, and literary criticism, they are encouraged to explore new approaches to classical literature, history, philosophy, religion, art, and archaeology. They may test their explorations by participating in interdisciplinary workshops where both students and faculty present and discuss current research. The Classics Department sponsors three workshops, the Ancient Societies Workshop, the Rhetoric and Poetics Workshop, and the Ancient Philosophy Workshop, all of which meet biweekly, and is affiliated with the Late Antique and Byzantium Workshop and the Medieval Studies Workshop. Computer facilities permit students to conduct precise analyses of texts and to communicate with scholars worldwide who share their interests. Students interested in ancient theater can acquire first-hand experience in producing and acting in classical plays as part of the University Theater Program. Archaeological field experience is available for those who are interested in the material basis of classical antiquity.